4 Superfoods For Glowing Skin

Did you know that your skin is your body’s largest organ? Your skin, which covers your entire body and makes up around 16% of your entire body mass, also serves many purposes including: 

• Protecting your body from germs, pollution, radiation and more
• Receiving sensory information (touch and temperature)
• Storing water, fat and vitamin D (from the sun!)
• Regulating your body temperature

So if your skin is helping to protect your internal organs from harmful elements like germs, toxins and pollution, shouldn’t we also be ‘feeding’ it with nutrient dense foods to keep it healthy, just like we feed our internal organs? Fun fact: up to 60% of what you apply on your skin is actually absorbed into your bloodstream! So while you’re eating nutrient dense superfoods to help keep your internal organs happy, you could also be using these same superfoods topically to help nourish your body from the outside in! 

Here are 4 of our favourite skin and hair nourishing superfoods that you can use to create DIY face and hair masks to help keep your skin happy and in turn, your entire body happy!

Spirulina:

Spirulina, a spiral shaped green microalgae, is one of the most nourishing superfoods packed with a host of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and even protein! It contains all essential amino acids including Gamma linolenic acid aka GLA, an extremely powerful anti-inflammatory compound. We love adding spirulina to smoothies to help alkalize and detoxify the body, but we also love adding it to our DIY face masks to help detoxify and remove impurities from our skin! Spirulina can help:

• Facilitate faster cell turnover to help you skin heal faster
• Eliminate free radicals and toxins to increase skin metabolism
• Prevent candida overgrowth, which causes acne breakouts

Rice Bran:

Rice Bran, also known as Tocos, is packed with antioxidants, an array of B vitamins as well as E vitamins - all of which are essential for skin health. Vitamin E supplements are often used to help achieve glowing skin and thick, silky hair - which is why this vitamin E packed superfood makes the list. You can read all about our rice bran powder in our superfood spotlight here! 

This is what you’ll need for a DIY Rice Bran and Germ Powder skin mask, which btw can be applied just about anywhere your skin could use some extra hydration:

Coconut Oil:

Is there anything that coconut oil can’t do? There’s no doubt that coconut oil belongs in the kitchen, but it definitely also has a place in the bathroom! Rich in fatty acids and antioxidants, coconut oil can help prevent and treat damaged skin and hair. It has antibacterial and antifungal properties that can help nourish dry skin (on your body and head!), treat rashes and even stimulate collagen production! Here’s are 4 ways we love to use coconut oil externally:

Amla:

Amla berry, an ayurvedic superherb, has been used for hundreds of years not only for its gentle detoxifying abilities and high vitamin C content, but also as a beauty herb! Packed with antioxidants and vitamins, amla can be used topically in face and hair masks to prevent acne, treat sunburns and brighten the skin. It’s also believed that amla can help prevent premature graying of the hair while strengthening the roots and nourishing your scalp. For a quick facemask mix together 2 tsp of amla powder, 1 tbsp honey and 2 tbsp yogurt. Apply to clean skin and remove once dried before following with your skincare routine. Want to use it for your hair? Try mixing 1 tbsp of amla powder with 1 tbsp of lemon juice and 2 tbsp of coconut oil. Apply it to your scalp and hair and leave for 15 minutes before rinsing. This can help nourish the scalp and promote hair growth!